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The Rajasthan government is encouraging farmers to set up solar pumps in their fields by giving subsidies going up to 60 per cent so that they do not have to depend on electricity for irrigation. Agriculture Commissioner Mr Kanaram said farmers were subsidised up to 60 per cent of the cost of setting up a solar-energy pump. The state government has made the provision of an additional subsidy of Rs 45,000 to farmers who belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes (STs) and a 100 per cent subsidy on solar pump plants of 3 and 5horsepower to ST farmers under the tribal sub-plan areas. The official said in the last four years, more than Rs 982.95 crore in subsidies had been given to over 57,000 farmers.